Justification:
The species is listed as Critically Endangered (Possibly Extinct) as the presumed extent of occurrence is less than 100 km2, with increasing habitat reduction. This species is known only from one individual and repeated surveys have not found it. There is a possibility that this species may be extinct.

This species which is endemic to the Philippines where it is known only from a single specimen collected between 1974 and 1975 (Musser et al. 1985; Oliver et al. 1993) from Dinagat island. The type locality is Balitbiton, Loreto municipality, Surigao del Norte Province, Dinagat island, Philippines (Musser and Carleton 2005). Several teams of biologists have visited Dinagat briefly but specific surveys for this species have not been performed and the species was not located (L. Heaney pers. comm. 2006). The species may occur also on adjacent islands, especially Siargao and Bucas Grande, where Podogymnura aureospinula, previously only known from Dinagat, is now known to occur. Local people on the nearby island of Siargao reported seeing an arboreal rat resembling Crateromys australis (Oliver et al. 1993) but this still needs to be confirmed.

The holotype is from disturbed lowland forest, near a logging road. The species may be dependent on primary forest. It is not known whether this species is able to persist in secondary forest. The species is small for a cloud rat which occurs in the canopy.

Dinagat island is particularly threatened by increasing levels of mining for chromite which occurs in ultrabasic areas. The species and habitat occur in an area which is negatively affected by local political activities. Deforestation is probably a major threat (Oliver et al. 1993) and a recent visit to the island showed that much of the forest has been logged (B. Tabaranza pers. comm.).

The area around the type locality is included within an Important Bird Area. Species specific surveys are urgently needed on Dinagat to determine its range there and also on Siargao and Bucas Grande islands to ascertain if it occurs on those islands. The species is likely to be forest dependent, given its arboreal nature, although the extent which it can persist in secondary forest is unknown. Surveys of this species could potentially be undertaken under the EIAs required for mining projects.